Gond Tribal Artist, Belhara (Tanda), Wardha, Maharashtra

Ajay Uikey

Ajay Uikey is a self-taught Gondi painter from Madhya Pradesh whose art reflects forest spirits and tribal cosmology. Driven by ancestral intuition during the 2020 lockdown, he evolved from YouTube drafts to exhibiting at World Art Dubai 2024. His richly patterned works - peacocks, cosmic trees, and dancing tigers - follow the philosophy that no space on canvas should remain empty. Ajay now works toward a tribe-led platform supporting Gondi, Warli, and Bhil artists, bridging cultural wisdom and contemporary relevance.

From the forest-rich hills of central India, Ajay Uikey revived Gondi art, an ancient tribal art form of dots, lines, and natural pigments. With no formal training, he reconnected with his cultural roots during the 2020 lockdown, learning through tradition and intuition.

His richly detailed paintings, depicting birds, tigers, trees, and cosmic signs, embody Gond cosmology, where every element of nature holds a spirit. Each canvas fills itself in rhythmic harmony, echoing the bhitti chitra philosophy of no empty space.

In May 2024, Ajay’s work featured at the prestigious World Art Dubai Expo, where he represented Gondi art alongside master artists like Swapnil Masram. His paintings received international admiration and helped bring tribal artistry into global view

Ajay aims to build a pan-tribal artist platform, where Gondi, Warli, and Bhil creators collaborate, preserving distinct expressions while securing market access and dignity. To him, art is not decorative; it is a spiritual ecosystem.

In Ajay’s fingers, the forest continues to grow, rendered in each dot, each line, each vibrant tableau. Gondi is not nostalgia, it is living memory, resurgent and radiant.

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